THE PARENTS of a three-year-old girl who died from leukaemia have signed up to the Gazette’s Wish Campaign to boost a fund set up in her memory.

The Charlotte Wren Forget Me Not Fund is a registered charity set up in July by Michael and Claire Wren, of Marton, Middlesbrough, in memory of their daughter, who lost her battle for life in June.

The fund raises money for research into the condition known as Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukaemia and for support and respite care for families of children with life-threatening illnesses.

Trustees hope to sponsor a room in Charlotte’s name at Crawford House, which provides free accommodation for local families who have to travel to Newcastle to receive medical treatment for children with life-threatening illnesses.

The Gazette’s Wish Campaign is giving away #25,000 to community groups, clubs, schools and charities across the Tees Valley.

Organisations will receive a share of the pot for each token they collect.

Charlotte’s dad Michael said he hopes to match money raised through the charity’s fundraising events so far by collecting #10,000 from the Gazette’s Wish Campaign.

If the fund meets this target, #5,000 of the money will go towards the room and the other half will go towards funding research into the condition, which accounts for 1% of childhood leukaemias.

“It’s crucial to keep families together when they are facing the possibility that their child could die,” said Mike.

“It was vital to us - it kept us together. Many families could have broken down with all this going on.

“Currently we are aware of about five children from the Tees Valley who have to travel 90 miles a day. We want to provide respite and accommodation for families under stress.

“Sponsoring a room could help 200 families over a year.

“What we are also trying to do is fund research into finding a cure for the deadly leukaemia that killed Charlotte because it’s a very rare leukaemia.”